A Dallas celebrity chef steakhouse is closing: Knife, the steakhouse at The Highland Dallas hotel at 5300 E. Mockingbird Ln. from John Tesar, is closing after more than a decade.
According to a release, Knife will be closing and moving to a new location "as it moves toward an exciting new evolution." Its final day is August 31.
According to a statement from Lennox Capital Partners, the private lodging investment and management firm that acquired the Highland Dallas in 2018, The Highland Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton and Chef John Tesar and the Knife restaurant concept are concluding their partnership.
The hotel is in "interim talks" with a new hospitality group for a new concept that will replace Knife — which could also be implemented prior to the August 31 date.
"We are grateful for Chef Tesar’s partnership over the years and we wish him success in his future endeavors," their statement says.
An original plan between Tesar and Lennox Capital Partners, outlined in October 2024, called for the steakhouse to rebrand into a new expanded concept that would be called Knife Steak & Seafood, which would pull from Knife & Spoon, a sibling that Tesar opened at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes in 2020. The Highland Dallas hotel is also undertaking a $13 million renovation.
In addition to Knife & Spoon in Orlando, the Ritz-Carlton there also has a location of Knife Burger.
Tesar has two other Knife restaurants: Knife Italian Steak - The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, and Knife & Spoon Knife Steakhouse - The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano, in which he's partnered with restaurateur George Stergios.
The Knife Burger at Willow Bend in Plano is temporarily closed. And a Knife location in California, at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, was dissolved in 2023.
Tesar is currently appearing on House of Knives, a cooking competition show on Food Network.
The release goes on to say that John Tesar Concepts, in collaboration with GBOD Hospitality Group (El Chingon) and 3ntourage Hospitality Group (Wade's Landing), has identified a "premier Dallas location" for a new expanded version of Knife that would feature Knife; plus a more intimate and experiential entity called Pocket Knife; and a new social concept called Switchblade, all under one roof. Where that roof will be, they cannot yet say.
